The Red Planet X
by Tora Ziyal
Summary: A rescue mission is in order as the crew of the Enterprise encounters a strange planet. Hoshi, Reed, and a doctor go to surface only to find that this planet is more dangerous than they really think. *UPDATED* Chapter 5 is now up and running!
1. The Discovery

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Author Notes: * mean thoughts. { mean when a person is talking on a communicator. This story doesn't follow the series to its entirety. This is also the beginning of my Hoshi/Reed epic. As always I love feedback. Please tell me what you think of my stories, give me suggestions, let me know if I made a mistake, tell me anything you want be it positive or negative.

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Disclaimer: Enterprise and all the related characters belongs to Paramount. This fan fiction piece belongs to me. Just to let you all know I'm not making any profit off this story ~Ziyal~

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Rating: PG-13

**__**

The Red Planet X

By Tora Ziyal 

It was another day and like most days so far uneventful, except for the occasional meetings of new species and new scientific discoveries of the galaxy. The _Enterprise _drifted on impulse engines as its crew on the bridge sat at their posts hoping that maybe today would be that day of a new contact or discovery. Ensign Hoshi Sato sat at the communications station with her elbow resting on the console and her head resting on her hand. She gazed around the bridge and observed the crew, who seemed to be doing the same thing. Awkwardly everyone looked at each other and then glanced back down to what they were doing before.

*Oh this is fun. * Hoshi thought as she fiddled with her earpiece hoping she could pick up something. She shook her head at the static that buzzed through it. *Okay no one said that being in Starfleet was going to fun all the time. I mean what am I even worried about fun for, I didn't actually really want to be here. * She sighed and looked up and noticed that from across the way Lieutenant Malcolm Reed was...staring at her? 

Malcolm noticed that Hoshi was looking back at him and he immediately looked away and back down at the scanners. He then pretended like he was busy doing something and Hoshi stifled a laugh. *Okay Malcolm, you're busy.....* She thought as she watched him push some buttons and look over a padd.

T'Pol sat in Captain Archers chair, showing not the slightest bit of emotion on her face. The Vulcan woman was the sub-commander of the _Enterprise _and she was on duty while Archer was resting. If Jonathan Archer were here right at the moment, he would have livened up the bridge a bit. Instead the entire crew sat in silence hoping that their shift was coming to an end or something of interest would happen.

Hoshi yawned and tilted her head to the sides a few times easing the stiffness. *Ugh what time is it? * She thought as she looked down at the clock on her console. She let out a soft groan when she saw that it was only O-500 hours. *Five a clock in the morning only.... These shifts are horrible. * She knew that in a few more hours she'd become 'goofy' from the lack of sleep, at least she'd be heading back to her room. She yawned again, listening to the faint crackle of static in her ear. The static slowly began changing from soft too loud and then began to actually sound like words?.... A language?.... A distress call? Hoshi tuned it in a little more. She couldn't make out anything but it was definitely more than just static. "Sub-commander...I'm picking up something." Hoshi said as she looked over at T'Pol's way, tuning her earpiece.

Malcolm looked up from his station. "I'm getting some readings as well, Sir." Reed said in his soft British accent. "It seems like it's coming from a planet."

T'Pol looked at him like he was an idiot. "I assure you Lieutenant. There is no planet around...." She didn't get to finish her sentence.

On the view screen was a fairly large red planet. The bridge crew looked at it for the longest time wondering why they didn't pick it up on their sensors before they practically were on it. "T'Pol to Archer. I think you may want to look at this." She spoke into comm. 

Hoshi fiddled with the earpiece trying to tune the words that came over it. "This is the starship _Enterprise_, are you in the need of assistance, copy?"

There was no reply on the other side. *C'mon, c'mon.... Please respond...* She thought as she watched the doors open onto the bridge and Captain Jonathan Archer walked onto it in full uniform.

"What's going on?" He asked looking at T'Pol.

"Captain, we've come across a planet," She said looking at the screen. "It did not show up on any of our sensors until we came very close to it. Ensign Sato believes she is receiving a message from the planet."

Archer looked at the young ensign. "Hoshi, what can you tell us?"

Hoshi held up her index finger, and punched some stuff into a padd. "Captain, I'm only getting bits and pieces of the message....The translator is not identifying the language...I need a little more." She said as her fingers flew frantically around the padd.

Archer gave a quick nod. "Full stop." He told the helmsman.

"Aye, Sir." The helmsman replied as the_ Enterprise _abruptly stopped.

{Trip to Archer. Is everything okay up there? Why'd we just stop?} Charles Tucker asked over his communicator from engineering.

"You may want to get up here, Trip." Archer said as he looked at the huge red planet.

{On my way.} Tucker responded.

Archer looked back at Hoshi. "Can you play the message over the speakers?" He asked.

Hoshi nodded and pressed the speaker button. "Uni delveros terki rarsha et ma yinni du." The message repeated over and over. Archer made a cutting action with his finger over his throat. Hoshi stopped the message and smiled. "I think I got it Sir."

Archer nodded. "What does it say?"

Hoshi pressed another button and the message started up again, this time in English. "We need help...crashed...5 years ago....." The message played and then Hoshi cut it off.

"It sounds like a spacecraft crashed down on the planet five years ago." Commander Tucker said as he stepped onto the bridge. "We gonna check it out?" He said in his smooth southern drawl.

Archer looked over a T'Pol who was at the science station. "The planet is safe for us to go to, if that is what you're going to ask. I'm also picking up two human life forms, and they're both in critical condition. There is also another species present, most likely the one who sent the transmission" She said to Archer with her hands clasped behind her back.

Archer looked back at Trip. "I think we should go see if you can offer some assistance." He said as he began to walk. "Hoshi, Reed, and T'Pol, you're with me." He stopped and looked back at Trip. "You have the bridge commander."

Tucker watched the captain and his fellow crewmen walk away and then he smiled and sat down in the chair.

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Archer, T'Pol, Reed, and Sato entered the sickbay. Dr Phlox turned from his patient and greeted them with a warm smile. "What can I do for you?"

Archer began to explain the situation. Dr. Phlox nodded his head as he followed the story. "So you need a doctor to go along on this rescue?" He asked.

Archer nodded. "Yes, but I want one of your best-trained staff doctors to go. I want you here getting ready for the injured that will be coming."

"I understand." Phlox said as he turned around to a young man. "This is Doctor Ryan Graves; he is probably the one for this job." He introduced.

"Good." Archer turned to T'Pol. "I'm sending Dr. Graves, Hoshi, and Reed to the planet surface."

Hoshi looked at Archer with surprise. "Me?" She asked

Archer nodded. "You're the only one that has the best chance of communication with the alien." He turned to Malcolm. "I want you to pilot the shuttle and get Doctor Graves to the location."

Malcolm nodded and looked over at Hoshi. *At least there will be a third person with us.... Don't have to worry about any awkward moments and such. * He thought as he was wishing that he wasn't the one going but he did not tell Archer that.

Archer looked at the three crewmen. "I'll meet you in the shuttle bay in ten minutes." He said as he and T'Pol walked off.

Doctor Graves began gathering medical supplies to take with them. Hoshi glanced over at Malcolm at the same time he glanced at her. Their eyes locked on to each other for a moment and then they both turned away, and began going out the door towards the shuttle bay. This was going to be a most interesting mission.

To be continued...............


	2. The Shuttle Pod

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Author Notes: * mean thoughts. { mean when a person is talking on a communicator. This story doesn't follow the series to its entirety. This is the second chapter of my Hoshi/Reed epic. As always I love feedback. Please tell me what you think of my stories, give me suggestions, let me know if I made a mistake, tell me anything you want be it positive or negative. 

****

Disclaimer_: Enterprise _and all the related characters belong to Paramount. This fan fiction piece belongs to me. Just to let you all know I'm not making any profit off this story ~Ziyal~

****

Rating: PG-13

**__**

The Red Planet X

'The Shuttle Pod'

By Tora Ziyal 

Hoshi, Reed, and Doctor Graves all walked down the long winding corridors to the shuttle bay, where they soon would be departing for a strange planet that seemed to pop out of no where. Hoshi swallowed the lump in her throat that was forming ever since Captain Archer told her that she would be accompanying the tactical officer and the young doctor to the planet's surface where three life forms seemed to be stranded.

*Remind me why I'm going again? * Hoshi asked herself as the group entered the shuttle bay. Captain Archer and T'Pol stood there waiting for them to come in and get situated. Hoshi shivered slightly as she thought about being cramped in a shuttle pod for an hour or so, and then to be walking around some foreign planet looking for humans. That was another question Hoshi asked herself, how on earth did humans get all the way out here? _ Enterprise _had been the first vessel carrying humans to come all the way out in deep space. So many questions and sadly enough no one here knew any of the answers. She shivered again, this time Lieutenant Reed noticed. 

He looked at her and smiled slightly. He then turned back to Captain Archer and T'Pol. "We're all set, Sir."

Archer nodded. "Good." He looked at Hoshi and then to Doctor Graves. "We don't know exactly what is down there. Be cautious at all times." He said as he handed each crewmember a phase pistol. "Set these to maximum stun."

Hoshi looked at the pistol and shuddered. The last time she had to use one of these was at the academy during a training procedure. "Do you think these are really necessary?" She asked almost without thinking.

Archer nodded. "We don't know what's down there, Hoshi. I know we got a distress call but we need to be on our guard." He looked at the Vulcan woman next to him. "T'Pol did some more scans of the surface."

T'Pol stepped forward a bit and handed a data padd to Reed. "This is a layout of the planet's surface." She pointed to a small area on the padd. "This is the location of the humans and the alien. It appears to be a cavern or a small structure. The shuttle pod will be landing approximately two miles away from it."

Reed nodded in acknowledgment. "So we're just basically going in and getting the injured and coming back?" He asked.

"Yes. Maybe after we figure out who these people are and what happened to them we'll send a team down there again to do some exploring." Archer said and then turned to the doctor. "Do you have everything you need Dr. Graves?"

The young doctor smiled. "All set Captain." He patted the side of his medical case and climbed in the shuttle pod.

"Malcolm you'll be piloting and Hoshi you'll be co-piloting." Archer said to them. "Good luck and make it back safely." He smiled at the team and backed away from the shuttle. T'Pol gave a slight nod and then took a step back next to the captain.

Malcolm put his phase pistol in its holster and then climbed into the shuttle. Hoshi began to follow him in but stopped when she got half way in and climbed back out. She looked Captain Archer with a slight bit of fear in her eyes.

Archer smiled ever so slightly. He did not speak to her but his eyes told her that she would be fine and that she would do an excellent job.

Hoshi smiled back at him and then climbed all the way inside the shuttle and shut the hatch.

Captain Archer and T'Pol stepped inside the 'safe room' and the warning lights and the alarm began to signal that a shuttle was about to depart from the _Enterprise. _Hoshi gripped the side of her seat tightly as she felt the drop hatch in the _Enterprise_ open and the shuttle pod began to sink lower until it was completely outside of the ship. Hoshi glanced back at Doctor Graves; he sat content going through his medical equipment. *He's probably so eager to get to the planet. * She thought as she looked at Lieutenant Reed who kept his eyes fixed on the console in front of him. She studied his face noticing that he had little smile lines around his mouth. She noticed that his hair was a little unruly even though it was apparent he tried to keep it maintained with some hair products. She watched as he calmly took the controls and sucked in a couple deep breaths. Hoshi smiled to herself and then looked down at her console.

Doctor Graves made his way up to the cockpit area. "About how long before we get to the planet?" He asked resting his hands on the back of Hoshi's seat.

Malcolm took a break from his console and looked up at Graves. "Approximately forty-five minutes...give or take a few." He said, taking a quick glance over at Hoshi. "Ensign do you think you'll be able to communicate with the alien?" He spoke softly.

Hoshi nodded. "I think I got enough of the language to get by." She said to Malcolm, making minimum eye contact with him as possible. *Way to go Hoshi! The guy asks you a simple question and you get....embarrassed.* She scolded herself and then forced herself to look at Reed. It was to late though; Malcolm had already turned back to the console and concentrated on the mission ahead of them.

Doctor Graves climbed back into his seat and rested his head on the window, looking out at the stars. Hoshi leaned back in her chair a little and turned her head to the small porthole on the side of the shuttle. Secretly she wished that Captain Archer's voice would come over the comm. line and call them back. She sighed silently as she realized that he wasn't going to call them back so she shut her eyes and tried to rest her tense body.

Malcolm Reed's mind was a mass of mixed emotions; he was excited to be selected for this mission but he also was wary of the danger that could possibly come with it. He as also a little concerned about Hoshi. He had seen her shiver a few times as they walked to the shuttle pod. He also noticed how scared she was to get in the shuttle. He wanted to comfort her and tell her that there was nothing to worry about but he wasn't sure how to go about it. He had always had shyness around women, even in his Starfleet Academy days. While all the other guys were out having fun, Malcolm sat alone in his dorm studying warp factors and artillery. He once had a girlfriend but she broke up with him to go out with a cadet that was at the top of the list for getting his own ship. Malcolm decided that he'd just give up on the whole subject. There wasn't anytime for that kind of stuff in Starfleet anyway. He shot a glance over at Hoshi and gazed upon her delicate features, her porcelain skin and jet black, soft hair that was done in her typical manner. *Nothing wrong with looking as long as she doesn't catch me doing it.* He assured himself. Hoshi started to turn her head back towards the main view screen and Malcolm stopped looking at her and focused back on the console. "Eleven minutes and counting." He said to the others as he checked the controls. "We're going to have to slow down to half impulse now." He said as the shuttle slowed down and began to creep along the stars.

Hoshi put her earpiece. "I'm going to contact the _Enterprise_." She said.

Malcolm nodded. "All right. Doctor you got everything together?" He asked turning his head back to the doctor.

"Yes Sir. Everything seems to be in check." Doctor Graves said as he closed up the med kit and stretched his arms over his head.

"Shuttle pod two to _Enterprise_," Hoshi began. "We'll be entering the atmosphere in less than six minutes. Any further instructions?"

{Shuttle pod two. This is Archer. We have no further instructions for you except to be careful. We'll be in contact with you at all times so keep you communicators close. Archer out.} 

Hoshi smiled at the Captain's words as they made her feel a little safer. "How long Mal-," She stopped mid-sentence and corrected herself. "Lieutenant?"

Reed couldn't help but to smirk ever so slightly. "About four minutes, Ensign." 

The doctor climbed back up to the cockpit and gazed out the view screen. "Well would you look at that?" He said as he looked at the red static lighting that seemed to be cracking though the skyline.

Hoshi leaned a bit forward to the screen. "Are we going to have to go through that?" She said with a bit of fear in her voice. "I mean is that safe?"

"I think we should be able to get through it okay. It doesn't seem to be too bad of a storm." Reed told her trying to ease her fear as best as he knew how. *I'm not very good at this tension easing, am I?* He asked himself as he took a firm grip on the controls and began to lower the shuttle slowly into the atmosphere. Suddenly the shuttle dropped several feet very quickly causing everyone to bounce out of their seats. "Don't worry it's just the atmospheric change." 

Hoshi's stomach was clear in her in throat. "I don't ever remember that happening before." She looked back at the doctor. "Are you okay Doctor Graves?" She asked.

Graves rubbed the side of his head. "Just bumped my head, but thanks for asking." 

Hoshi nodded and turned back to the console. The shuttle jolted again and began to descend faster to the surface. Malcolm frantically tried to regain the controls but the shuttle seemed to be acting on its own accord. Hoshi looked at Malcolm as she gripped the side of her console to stabilize herself. "What's going on!" She shouted over the whistling noise in the shuttle.

Reed clung onto his console. "Everything seems to be working fine!" He shouted. The craft took another plummet, Hoshi lost her grip and began to fall. Reed reached over just in time and grabbed her before she hit the floor. "You okay?" He asked her.

Hoshi nodded and gripped the console harder this time. "If everything is working fine then why is this happening?" She said as she hit the emergency distress button. Hopefully the _Enterprise _would pick up on it and give them some assistance.

Malcolm looked at the arrival time counter. "This isn't good! At the rate we're going we're about to hit in less than a minute! It's like this shuttle is being sucked into the planet!" He shouted.

The shuttle jerked harder than before and Reed lost his grip and landed hard on the floor. Hoshi was almost thrown too but she kept her grip strong. She wanted to help Reed up but at the moment he looked to be safer on the floor. The doctor was thrown into one of the main power generators in the back, the generator sparked and burst into flame. The doctor slumped lifelessly to the ground. "Doctor Graves!!" Hoshi shouted as the shuttle filled with smoke. *Oh God please let us get through this. Please let Malcolm be fine. * She held her breath as best she could as she looked on the console, which read that they were about to hit the surface. Hoshi closed her eyes and hoped for the best as the shuttle hit the surface of the planet and skidded into the side of a rocky cliff.

to be continued.

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	3. Strange Things Afoot

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Author Notes: * mean thoughts. { mean when a person is talking on a communicator. This story doesn't follow the series to its entirety. This is the third chapter of my Hoshi/Reed epic. As always I love feedback. Please tell me what you think of my stories, give me suggestions, let me know if I made a mistake, tell me anything you want be it positive or negative. (**tora_ziyal13@hotmail.com**) 

****

Disclaimer_: Enterprise _and all the related characters belong to Paramount. This fan fiction piece belongs to me. So if you want to archive it please ask. Just to let you all know I'm not making any profit off this story ~Ziyal~

****

Rating: PG-13

**__**

The Red Planet X

'Strange Things Afoot'

By Tora Ziyal 

Hoshi landed on top of Malcolm when the shuttle hit the surface of the planet. She snapped her eyes open and gasped for air, she could not see anything around her because of the thick gray smoke from the busted generator. She laid on top of Malcolm for a moment trying to catch her breath. *I gotta get out of here. I gotta get Malcolm out of here too...Oh god is he even alive?* She thought as she pulled her face up to his. He was badly cut across his face but he was still breathing although he appeared to be knocked out. Hoshi staggered to her feet. "Okay Malcolm I got to get you out of here somehow." She told him quietly as she grabbed him by his feet and began to drag him, with all her strength across the floor to the hatch. *Poor Doctor Graves. * She thought as she stopped and tried to quickly open the hatch. *What if he's still alive? I got to check, I just can't leave him back there.* She struggled with the hatch but it seemed to be jammed shut. "Open!! Come on you stupid piece of junk!" She shouted as she thrust her shoulder into it. "Open!" She shouted one final time as the hatch began to crack open just a little. She grabbed Malcolm's feet again and dragged him out side and away from the shuttle.

Hoshi knelt next to him in the bright red sand. "Lieutenant Reed can you hear me?" She asked gently nudging his shoulder. There was no response but he still breathed steadily. Hoshi jumped up to her feet and began to make her way back to the shuttle. She knew she needed to get to Doctor Graves even if he was dead she couldn't just leave him in there. *I'm coming doctor, I'm not going to forget you...* She made it half way to the shuttle when she heard a huge boom and then saw wall of red flame and black smoke ahead of her. "NOOOOO-!!!" She screamed, as she could not believe that the shuttle pod had just blown up. Metal and shrapnel began to rain down around her and she quickly ran back towards where she left Malcolm. She used her body as shield to protect him from the pieces of small debris that fell to the ground. She could feel the shrapnel piercing her skin as it hit her body. She gritted her teeth and buried her head into Malcolm's shoulder. After a few minutes of the falling debris, it had finally come to an end. Hoshi felt it stop, she wanted to get up but she felt so weak. *I need to get up for Malcolm's sake. I need to try and get him up.* She thought as slid her body off of Reed and rolled over on her back looking up at the sky.

The sky was red, not a dull red but a bright red with streaks of blue lightening that flashed through it. Orange clouds cast an eerie glow on the ground making everything around Hoshi have an orangey tint. "What kind of place is this?" She said as she looked up at lightening, watching it flash. She sat up slowly and observed the terrain around her. As far as her eye cold see nothing but rocks and red sand. She tried to swallow but her throat was so parched that when she did it only made it worse. There was no planet life or any source of water as far as she could tell. The winds began to pick up and with it brought a swirling cloud of red sand that flew into Hoshi's eyes, ears, mouth and brushed against her skin. It felt horrible like someone was rubbing sandpaper against her. *I need to find some sort of shelter to get us out of this sandstorm, and I need to find some water.* 

"Ughhhhh....Where...ughhh." Malcolm groaned, his eyes fluttered open and then shut again. "...Sand?" He groaned as he weakly brushed the red sand away from his eyes.

Hoshi quickly turned to him. "Malcolm!...I mean Lieutenant Reed." She said as she came over to him and knelt besides him again. "How are you feeling?" She brushed away the sand from his face.

"Like someone hit me with a bloody phase cannon." He groaned as he struggled to sit up. Hoshi took his arm and gently helped him up. "I'm assuming that we crashed....Where is Nathaniel Graves?"

Hoshi almost started to cry. She didn't want to think that he was no longer with them. "Doctor Graves is dead. Wh-When the shuttle started to drop altitude, he flew into one of the power generators. I got you out of the shuttle but when I went back for him..." Hoshi's voice trailed off and a tear trickled down her cheek.

Malcolm looked ahead of him and saw the smoldering rubble of shuttle pod two. He realized what had happened. "May God rest his soul." He said softly. He looked around him and saw nothing but red sand and rocks. "Is there anything out here? Anything at all?"

Hoshi shook her head. "I haven't really checked it out, I've haven't left your side since the crash." She said as she staggered up to her feet and turned around. "I'll see if I can find some shelter now that you're up." 

"Wait, let me go with you." Reed said as he tried to stand up. "I'm sure once I get up I'll be able to walk better, besides we shouldn't split up."

Hoshi nodded and grabbed his hand and pulled him up to his feet. "Can you walk Lieutenant?"

"I think so. My ankle feels a bit swollen but I should be able to walk." He said as he took a step and nearly fell back onto the ground. Hoshi broke his fall as she grabbed him and put her arm around his shoulder to stabilize him.

"I think you're going to need a little help." She smiled. "I think the closest place to look for shelter would be those caverns over there. It's the only place that seems to be large enough."

"All right, lets go." He said as Hoshi and him slowly began to make their way towards the caverns. They staggered though the sands with the hot sun beating down on them. Occasionally the sky would light up and cast a creepy greenish-blue glow on everything, causing Hoshi to shutter slightly. "I hope the _Enterprise _got that signal you sent them."

Hoshi nodded in agreement. "I really do to Lieutenant. I have no idea if they did or not and if they did I have no idea how they are going to get us out of here with out being sucked down to the planet as well." She said as they approached the rocky cavern.

"Maybe they could beam us off the planet." Reed added as they carefully made their way into the cavern. He reached for his phase pistol. "Just a precaution."

Hoshi shivered again as she remembered that supposedly that her and Malcolm were not the only life forms on this planet. 

Malcolm pointed to an area a few meters into the cave. "Let's sit down over there." He pointed. "There has got to be some sort of water source here...I hope anyway." He finished as they sat down on the ground.

"I'll go exploring in a few minutes." She told him even though she was scared to death to go out alone in this strange cave. Who knows what was in here. "Do you think your ankle is broken?"

Malcolm shrugged and winced as he tried to move it. "I'm not sure but it sure feels like it." He smiled weakly and looked at her. "I want to thank you, Ensign Sato. You've been very brave through this whole thing so far." 

Hoshi felt herself blush. "Thank you, Lieutenant." Her mood changed when she thought about the other officer. "I just wished I would have gotten to Doctor Graves in time...I feel so horrible about it, like it was my...my fault that he died." She said as she put her head into her hands and wept softly. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't be crying."

Malcolm didn't know what he should do, so he let his instincts chose for him. He put his arms around her body and pulled her close to him. "It's all right Hoshi. You tried, and that is all that matters. I'm sure the Doctor was dead before you even had the chance to go back for him" He spoke softly in her ear as he rocked her back and forth slightly. He could barely believe that he was doing this. He was so awkward around the opposite sex but for some reason he felt that he wanted to comfort her. 

Hoshi stopped sobbing and pulled away slightly from Malcolm. She felt so much better now that someone had told her that it was not her fault. "I'm glad you're okay, Lieutenant." 

Reed smiled. "Let's drop the titles, Hoshi. Please call me Malcolm."

Hoshi smiled slightly back at him. "Okay...Malcolm." She felt kind of funny calling him that but if they were friends now and that's what he wanted, that's what she'd call him.

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((To be continued.... Don't worry girls and boys, this isn't the end ;))


	4. Broken Ankle, Mended Heart

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Author Notes: * mean thoughts. { mean when a person is talking on a communicator. This story doesn't follow the series to its entirety. This is the forth chapter of my Hoshi/Reed epic. As always I love feedback. Please tell me what you think of my stories, give me suggestions, let me know if I made a mistake, tell me anything you want be it positive or negative. (tora_ziyal13@hotmail.com)

****

Disclaimer_: Enterprise _and all the related characters belong to Paramount. This fan fiction piece belongs to me. So if you want to archive it please ask. Just to let you all know I'm not making any profit off this story ~Ziyal~

****

Rating: PG-13

**__**

The Red Planet X

'Broken Ankle, Mended Heart'

By Tora Ziyal 

The minutes dragged on like hours as Reed and Hoshi sat and waited for any kind of sign of anything that could be helpful to them. There was nothing. Hoshi stood up from the ground and paced back and forth a few times. "This is awful. The _Enterprise _should be looking for us; I sent that signal out before we lost all our command functions!"

Malcolm nodded. "I'm sure that they received it Hoshi. I bet they're just trying to figure out what would be the safest way to get us out of here." He said as he stuck his fingers in the bright red sand and drew circles in it, almost nervously.

"And what about those humans and...That alien. We haven't seen them or heard them. When do you suppose they'll make their appearance?" Hoshi said pacing back and forth, back and forth, and back and forth.

Malcolm's eyes followed her as she paced. He gritted his teeth. "Hoshi! Please stop doing that." He said firmly.

"Doing what?" She asked still pacing.

"Pacing."

"I'm pacing?" She looked down at her feet and noticed indeed that she was pacing. "Oh, I didn't even know. I guess I do that when I'm really nervous. You should have seen me minutes before I had to do some anti-gravity training back in Starfleet.... I about wore a hole in the linoleum flooring." She laughed.

Malcolm laughed. "I would have loved to see that. I hated that part of the training also." A sharp pain shoot up through his ankle and he sucked air through his teeth instead of howling out in pain. 

Hoshi spun around and faced him. "Malcolm! What's the matter?" She said crouching down next to him.

He clutched his foot and shook his head. "N-Nothing. I'll be fine." He assured her.

Hoshi moved his hand away from his foot and lifted it up slightly. "No, Malcolm you're not all right. I'm no doctor but I think you broke it." She began to remove his boot.

"Hoshi, please. I'll be okay." He tried to smile.

"I just want to look at it." She said looking up at his face. "I got to clean that wound on your face too."

Malcolm reached up and felt the slash on the left side of his cheek. It had stopped bleeding but the wound was still very open and raw. "Does it look really bad?" He asked her.

Hoshi successfully removed his boot and then looked up at his face again. "Not as bad as before. It stopped bleeding at least." She pulled his sock off carefully and looked at his black and blue, swollen ankle. "Yeah, I'd say it's broke."

"Damn, looks like I'm not going to do any exploring anytime soon." He said looking at his foot and then back at Hoshi's pretty face, he smiled at her.

"What?" She asked as she began to put his sock back on.

"Thank you for taking care of me." He replied, still smiling at her. 

She smiled back. "You're welcome. I'd do it for anybody."

Malcolm felt like he was on fire. *Settle down Malcolm....The girl takes your sock off and you flip for her, that's a little odd.* He thought to himself as he studied the way she moved about. It was more than just taking off his sock though. He was definitely attracted to Hoshi and each minute he spent with her he was even becoming more so. Ever since they started out on this mission she had shown bravery, loyalty, and compassion. That was something Malcolm admired very much in women. Hoshi was also smart, pretty, and funny but those were all 'second qualities' to him.

"I should go see if I can find water or....something." She said as she began to get up. 

Malcolm grabbed her hand gently and pulled her closer to him. He leaned forward half way and Hoshi met him the other half. Their lips touched and they kissed for a few seconds. Both of them burned with desire as their lips danced. Hoshi pulled away slightly and looked into his eyes. Her face was flushed and she almost had no idea what happened. "What was that for?" She asked.

Malcolm couldn't even believe he did that. He had no other explanation to give her except that he wanted to. "It just felt right." He said smiling.

Hoshi blushed again. "It did." She agreed. "I liked it." She said as she leaned forward and kissed him on his forehead.

It was Malcolm's turn to get red in the face. "I like you a lot Hoshi." He confessed to her. "It's just that I was always a bit shy around women, well I still am."

"It's okay, I'm like that around guys sometimes." She smiled as he put his hand on top of hers. "And I like you also, Malcolm." Hoshi felt like she was on top of the world. She secretly hoped that Lieutenant Reed liked her but she didn't think he really had any interest in her considering that she was a few years younger and she was only an ensign. She began to get up again. "I really should try and look around this place."

Malcolm nodded. "Be careful." He reached at his side and took out his phase pistol. "Take this."

Hoshi reluctantly took the pistol. "Thanks. I just hope I won't have to use this."

Malcolm nodded. "Me too. Don't go very far and don't do anything that looks at all dangerous." He said with concern.

A cold chill when down Hoshi's back as she peered into the dark tunnel ahead of her. She pulled out her small emergency flashlight and shone into the darkness. She looked back at Malcolm who watched with faith in her. She gave him one final smile and then disappeared into the dark unknown.

To Be Continued.......

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	5. Sand Trap

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Author Notes: * mean thoughts (_To also help the reader see the thoughts I've italicized as well) _{ mean when a person is talking on a communicator. This story doesn't follow the series to its entirety. This is the fifth chapter of my Hoshi/Reed epic. As always I love feedback. Please tell me what you think of my stories, give me suggestions, let me know if I made a mistake, tell me anything you want be it positive or negative.** (tora_ziyal13@hotmail.com)**

Disclaimer_: Enterprise _and all the related characters belong to Paramount. This fan fiction piece belongs to me. So if you want to archive it please ask. Just to let you all know I'm not making any profit off this story ~Ziyal~

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Rating: PG-13

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The Red Planet X

'Sand Trap'

By Tora Ziyal 

Hoshi felt her way through the dark tunnels of the cavern. The flashlight that she carried wasn't as bright as she hoped it would be, but still it was better than felling her way through pitch black. The ground that she traveled on was sandy which made it hard for her to walk in without sinking in it slightly. The walls of the tunnels were made of jagged rocks, which she gently glided her hand on; occasionally one of the rocks would slice her hand, almost like giving her a paper cut. If she was given a choice she'd be back at Lieutenant Reed's side, were at least it was light. But she had no choice; she knew she had to find water or something that Reed and herself could drink before severe dehydration set it. _*Please don't let me run in to any aliens.* _She thought as she took several more steps, stopping at what appeared to be a fork in the tunnel. _*I was hoping that this wasn't going to happen. This place is probably a huge maze of tunnels.* _She looked to her left and then to the right deciding which path she would follow. _*I wish Malcolm were here with me.* _She thought as she entered the right tunnel. _ *I hope he's doing okay.*_

Hoshi walked along the sand slowly. This tunnel seemed to be narrower than the last one she went through. Her claustrophobia began to rise. _*This is not the time or place to have a panic attack.* _She had to duck down a little because the ceiling of the tunnel began to get lower as she moved forward. The sides of the tunnel were growing closer together forcing her to turn to the side and squeeze through it that way as well as duck her head. The air around Hoshi became so thick that it choked her and she had to stop to catch her breath. _*I can't do this anymore!* _She shined the flashlight down the tunnel only to find that it came in so tight that she'd never be able to fit through it. A gasp of relief escaped from her lips and she began to make her way back.

She finally reached the fork again and took the left path this time, hoping for a better outcome. This tunnel seemed to be as spacious as the one she started out in. The ceiling was high and the walls had enough space between them for two people to walk side by side. Hoshi could breath easier, even though she could feel her anxiety rising. As she moved through the tunnel slowly she could feel the temperature begin to rise by a few degrees. _*Did the temperature rise like this in the other tunnel?* _She asked herself. She couldn't remember if it had or hadn't because she was so focused on fitting through. The sand on the ground got a little deeper as she walked and soon her entire foot was immersed into the red sand. _ *This sand is getting deeper.* _She thought as she trudged through it, grabbing onto the wall for stability. Soon the sand began to fill her boots, making it even more difficult to walk. _*I've come this far and I'm not going back.* _She repeated over and over to herself as she continued. Her flashlight had grown dimmer and she was getting worried that it may go out on her any second. The thought of that happening while she was in here made her throat close up. She still had her phase pistol that Malcolm had given her, and if it came to worse she could probably fire the pistol on the lowest setting to give her some temporary light. By this time the sand was up to her shins and it had become almost impossible to walk through with her boots filled with sand. Hoshi stopped and looked ahead of her, the path didn't change any but she could imagine that the sand only got deeper. _*This is almost pointless, the sand will be probably be up to my neck before long, and then what am I going to do?* _She asked herself.

Just as she was about to head back again, she spotted a small ledge of rock that ran along the tunnel walls. _*I bet if I stayed on that I could get a little further. Maybe I'd get somewhere a little more interesting than this.* _The only problem was getting to the ledge. It didn't start until a couple yards in front of her, and she had no idea how deep the sand would be. _*I have to give this a shot.* _She said as she took a couple of steps forward. She could feel the sand getting deeper, she just hoped that it get wouldn't dramatically deep. The sand was up to her knees by the time she climbed out of it onto the ledge. _*I made it!* _She thought happily. She leaned up against the wall and pulled off her boots one by one to dump the sand out of them before she continued on.

She felt so light now that all the sand was gone from her boots that she practically lost her balance off the ledge as she walked forward on it. The ledge was narrow but Hoshi felt that if she took her time, she'd be okay on it. Her flashlight was still at the same dimness as it was before, which she figured was a good thing. She had lost track of the time but she estimated that she had been gone from Malcolm's side for about an hour now. He kept popping up into her mind and she hoped that coming all this way would have a good outcome. , like finding some source of water for them.

The tunnels began to shake suddenly. Hoshi immediately clung onto the sides as best as she could. Loose rocks and sand came down from the ceiling, hitting her head and body. _*What is this? Some kind of quake?* _She thought as her eyes grew wide with fear. She almost fell off the ledge but caught and pressed herself against the wall as tight as she could. She shrieked when another quake vibrated through the tunnel, this one was much more powerful than the last and her phase pistol slipped from her hand and fell into the sandpit just below the ledge.

"Shoot!" Hoshi yelled as she looked down to see her pistol laying in the sand. The shaking quit and the tunnels were quiet once again. She was about to bend down and pick up her phaser but the sand began to pull it down like it was swallowing it. "Quicksand?" She said as she looked to where her pistol once was. She stood back up and began to move forward again, being extra careful that she did not fall into the sand trap below. Hoshi was a little frightened now that she had no weapon to protect her but she felt that she wasn't in any danger of meeting anyone down here right now. She walked along the ledge a little while longer until it branched off and widened into a flat rock surface. She jumped off the ledge onto it. The surface felt stable enough. "This is more like it." Hoshi thought as she scanned her flashlight in the area. She really couldn't see anything but rocks and it didn't sound like any water was in this huge rocky room. Hoshi's heart sunk. _ *I've come all this way only to find myself in a huge room with out anyway out, besides the way I came.* She thought sadly._

Her heart beat faster as she thought about her journey back to Malcolm. How she would have to go through all that sand and what if those quakes started again. She might be as lucky as she was before. She turned back to the entranceway and then her flashlight went out. Hoshi gasped loudly as she darkness enveloped her. Her heart beat at an unhealthy rate and her throat dried out. She opened her eyes as wide as she could hoping that she would be able to see better but there was no light what so ever, she was just surrounded by blackness.

She held onto her flashlight and began to press the button on and off hoping that it would miraculously come back on. Without it there would be no way she'd ever make it back to Malcolm. She'd for surely fall into the sand trap or get lost in the dark. Her heart felt like it was in her throat and all she wanted to do was cry. _*I cannot freak out like this!* _She yelled at herself. _*Malcolm is depending on me.* _She thought as she hit the flashlight with the palm of her hand and it came on.

Hoshi took a couple of breaths and prayed that it would not go out on her again until at least she made it back to Malcolm. She looked ahead of her where the light was shinning only to see that she was not alone in this room. She was almost face to face with a humanoid creature that had bluish skin and no hair. Hoshi stepped back and let out a scream that echoed through out the cavern. She took another step back as she alien came towards her and the tripped over a rock. Her flashlight fell out of her hands and smashed on the ground, causing the room to become pitch black again, leaving Hoshi and the alien alone in the dark.

To be continued.......


End file.
